(Lack of) US Iran Peace Agreement Part 5

saying the Iranian proxy group had “agreed not to fight the United States”.”

If that's how Trump honours security deals I hope that Europe, esp Greenland and Denmark are taking notice.

Interesting snippet on CNN.

Florida fishing charter makes an unexpected catch: A US military drone | CNN

"The drone appeared be an FLM 136, a clone of the Iranian-designed Shahed 136, which has played a key role in the Ukraine and Iran wars.
The Air Force announced late last year it had cloned the Iranian-designed model, calling them the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, or LUCAS, drones."

"US Central Command announced in early March that LUCAS drones were being used in the war with Iran, “delivering American-made retribution.”"

Ah right. Trump says they have loads of ammo, but they are copying LOW COST Iranian drones. to use against Iran.

Foil hat time... I wonder if they have "Made in Iran" stenciled on. You know, just in case one goes astray and hits.... a ship say.

Scott Bessent says Iranian airlines could effectively be shut out from international travel from Wednesday, as Washington threatens foreign countries with secondary sanctions if they continue servicing the country’s carriers.

“On September 23rd, all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world”, Bessent told CNBC on Monday.

The warning is aimed not just at the airlines themselves but at the airports, fuel suppliers, ticketing companies and other businesses they rely on to operate abroad.

“If they land you cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system”, Bessent said.

Iran’s aviation system was already heavily constrained by years of US sanctions, which have made it difficult for carriers to buy new aircraft and obtain spare parts and maintenance services.

Source: Al Jazeera.

Two Iraqi government sources told AFP on Monday that Baghdad would suspend flights by Iranian airlines following the US Treasury’s announcement.

Also Monday, Georgia banned Iranian carriers from its land, while Iranian carrier Mahan said it suspended services to Turkey at the request of the Turkish government.

Will this be the tipping point that will elicit more US support for SA or will Trump think that when other countries step up the US can stand down. Can the Houthi strikes be stopped by air power alone?

Britain will give military support to Saudi Arabia to fight the Houthis in Yemen, Andy Burnham has confirmed.
An RAF aircraft will assist the Saudi air force with air-to-air refuelling to prevent further strikes on its oil facilities.
The kingdom has come under frequent drone and missile attacks by the Houthis, an Iran-backed militia in Yemen, on southern towns in Saudi Arabia, Red Sea ports and energy infrastructure.
Speaking to reporters on his way to New York on Monday evening, Mr Burnham said he had agreed to give refuelling support on advice from Wes Streeting, the Defence Secretary, and Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary.
The announcement comes before Mr Burnham’s first face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday
(Telegraph)

@trumpredcard ,

It’s literally one plane. I can’t believe it makes any military difference.

I guess it is a gesture before Burnham meets Trump.

Yes it's a single British plane being used for air to air refuelling. Apparently a Voyager, based out of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

In other news, foreign ministers of the G7 nations have issued a joint statement condemning "in the strongest terms" Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

"We call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions, all threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith," said the foreign ministers of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

Thousands of refugees have fled Yemen in recent days after the Iran-backed group seized territory along the country's Red Sea coastline, including near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical shipping route for global trade.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwm2qpmepmlzo

I think you are right about Burnham positioning himself for meeting Trump. He'll probably ditch the t-shirt as well.

In case anyone wants to read the full article.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/f201f9607744bde3

@Newbutoldfather I admit to being a bit of a stickler regarding information and fact checking because accuracy matters to me. Your comment on the utility of one refuelling plane in dealing with the Houthis made me wonder how true that could be.
While the RAF uses the Voyager, I found this report about a similar refuelling plane and it's more effective than you think.

https://list25.com/kc-46-pegasus-red-sea-houthi-missiles/

@trumpredcard ,

That article is interesting and the refuelling planes are really important.

However, I think that the U.S currently has about 60 in the Middle Eastern theatre and are planning to send more if they go back to a high level kinetic war against Iran.

So, whilst I am sure they are glad of our support, unless the other EU countries offer similar, it is mainly symbolic.

One vs 60 is certainly symbolic so a strategic move by Burnham, especially with time limit on the support.

Wonder if anyone checked if the nozzles match ?

There is a NATO standard. STANAG 7191, but SA are not in NATO.

Saudi Arabia fly F15 and Eurofighter. I can't find any info on who uses that standard, or not. But the current edition appears to be from 2022. I found an article saying a Brit voyager refueled Qatari jets, but oddly enough, the nearest info I can find on my limited web, is cos of Palas--t- Acon and when they damaged the UK tankers.

Now, before anyone says I am nit-picking and trying to find problems for whatever reason

The Brit tankers do not mate with Israeli Jets. So they are not all compatible.

Despite claims, British tankers cannot refuel Israeli jets (ukdefencejournal.org.uk)

From that linked article -

"The RAF operates the Voyager KC2 and KC3, which use the probe-and-drogue method of aerial refuelling. This system involves a flexible hose with a drogue basket that extends from the tanker. Receiving aircraft must be fitted with a refuelling probe that connects with the drogue to take on fuel. This method is standard across the UK and NATO for aircraft such as the Typhoon, F-35B, and other compatible platforms.
Israeli fighter aircraft, including the F-15 and F-16, use the flying boom method. This involves a rigid, steerable boom extending from the tanker aircraft, which connects to a receptacle on the receiving jet. Israel uses converted Boeing 707s and has recently begun operating KC-46 tankers, both of which are equipped with flying boom systems.
The two systems are not interchangeable. RAF Voyagers do not have booms and cannot be modified to carry them without extensive structural redesign. It is not a matter of operational secrecy or political alignment. It is a basic question of engineering. A Voyager cannot refuel an Israeli F-15 any more than a diesel pump can refuel a petrol engine."

Going by that, I would say it seems the UK tankers will be ok for Saudi Typhoons, but not their F15. So then it comes down to what ammo the different jets carry.

The UK helping SA drop bombs looks to me, as if that means Euro bombs that Euro Jets carry. So, no money in it for Trump.

If the Voyager were to be incompatible with ALL Saudi aircraft, I would doff my cap to Burnham for playing a 4D chess move.

I knew someone on this thread would wonder about nozzles!

I do like to think our RAF engineers could fit a hose with the correct nozzle on to the plane reasonably quickly and easily.

To set your mind at rest @RedTagAlan

Compatibility with Saudi Jet Types
Here’s a breakdown of its capabilities:

Aircraft TypeRefueling Compatibility
Eurofighter Typhoon Yes
F/A-18 (U.S. Navy) Yes
Other Saudi Fighter Jets Limited compatibility

No they cant. It means structural changes to the airframe. It's not just a hozelock fitting with a jubilee clip.

@trumpredcard . I deduced right about the Typhoon then. So it won't fit the US jets. I see F18 there, but that is naval. Saudi do not have carriers. And it makes sense that is different to land based, cos F18 do buddy refueling from other f18 fitted with drop tanks. The US boom system is big and heavy, and expensive. So of course, the UK went with the cheapest option.

Tell you what though, my web is very limited when it comes to military stuff, so totally happy to be corrected.

I can't even find out how may Typhoons SA have.

No they cant. It means structural changes to the airframe. It's not just a hozelock fitting with a jubilee clip.

Converting an RAF Voyager would likely involve:

• Installing the boom, operator controls, cameras and flight-control interfaces
• Reinforcing or modifying the rear fuselage and centreline structure
• Adding fuel plumbing, pumps, valves and control software
• Integrating the boom with the aircraft’s electrical and avionics systems
• Ground, flight and receiver-aircraft testing
• Full airworthiness certification and crew/maintenance training

A previous estimate suggested that adding a boom to a finished Voyager could take roughly six months, but that was an informal industry estimate and should not be treated as an official schedule. WordPress

For Saudi aircraft, the easier and more practical option would usually be to use the Voyager’s existing hose-and-drogue capability where compatible, or have Saudi aircraft fitted with the appropriate receiver system. Converting the Voyager to a dual-system tanker would provide the greatest flexibility, but would cost substantially more and might require taking aircraft out of service.

And that is before we even get into the training and certification needed for all the people, Pilots, operators, groundcrew, mechanics.

@notimagain is the aviation expert. They will know.

I am not saying good or bad re the Voyager going. I am just saying that I think it will be limited with what it can do.

And also the bit about the Typhoon having euro munitions, not US.

But hey, SA asked for help. So rude not to.

Interestingly, FA/18's can be land based and in 2022
https://www.eurasiantimes.com/us-marine-f-a-18s-deployed-to-saudi-arabias-iran/

I'm not disputing SA not having any. This is just background info.

As I said, there is a lot of stuff I can't get.

This SA/Houthi war has been going on for a long time.

Can you access this link @RedTagAlan ?

https://www.globalmilitary.net/air_forces/sau/

(Saudi have 71 operational Typhoons) or fewer, depending on whether Iran hit a few.

That website is a gold mine of info.

2026 IRAN CONFLICT — MILITARY LOSSES TRACKER
176 documented military equipment losses since 28 February 2026 — 144 aircraft and 32 naval vessels (Iran 81, United States 69, Israel 21). Latest recorded event: 16 September 2026.

https://www.globalmilitary.net/conflicts/iran-2026/

Oil below $100 as Iran 'makes strait of Hormuz offer'

Newsflash: The oil price has dipped below the $100 a barrel level.
This follows a report on the Kyodo news service that Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the United States takes initial steps toward easing military pressure.
One senior Iranian government official told Kyodo:
“There is a possibility of moving toward an agreement.”
But the official added that Washington must demonstrate “seriousness and commitment” if diplomacy is to advance.

Neil Wilson of Saxo Markets says:
Pressured by its exports grinding to a halt the economic toll is being felt in Tehran and it seems to be pinning hopes on this offer ending the stalemate.
This looks too good an offer for Trump to turn down ahead of his key week with Xi and with polls indicating voter dissatisfaction of his handling the Iran war and economy ahead of the mid-terms, which are looking like the Democrats could take both houses.
As ever with US-Iran chatter and rumours this needs to be taken with a grain of salt but should it hold it’s going to mean crude holds lower, which would take the pressure of bond yields.

The Guardian